Combined guide and fastener for sliding doors



Fd). 775111939. n @l E, LENARD l 2,346,633

COMBINED GUIDE AND FASTENEH FORy SLIDING DOORS Filed Nov. 5, 1936 2 Shee"cs-Sl'1eea'ff l E@ C. Laag-L y Feb. 7, 1939. D. c. E. LEONARD COMBINED GUIDE AND FASTENER FOR SLIDING DOORS Filed Nov. 5, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 KN. w.

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Patented Feb. 7, 1939 PATENT OFFICE l(OIWBINED GUIDE AND` FASTENER FOR SLIDING DOGRSy Davia o. E. Leonard,

Hagerstown, Md., assignor to Jamison Cold Storage Door Co., Hagerstown, Md., a'corporation of Maryland Application November 5, 1926, Serial No. 109,374.

2 Claims.

IIThis invention relates vto new and useful improvements in a clamping fastener for sliding doors and is particularly adaptedto be used wherever a tight seal is required, as for example, in connection with an opening into a refrigerating chamber.

It is customary to providev such an opening with a frame in which the door is vertically slidable, and one object of theinvention is to provide an easily operated clamping fastener which, in one position, serves to guide the door vertically up or down and, in another position, clamps the door to the frame in such a manner as to provide a tight seal for the opening, or to lock the door in any position between a fully open and a closed position. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide a clamping fastener of this type with a single central handle which may be rocked lin one direction to clamp both sides of the door tothe frame and in the other direction to free the door therefrom, in case it should become stuck or frozen by 10W temperature usage.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a fastener at each side of the door, controlled by cam operated means from a central handle, which also serves as a means for raising the door.

The specific construction of the invention in its preferred form and the advantages thereof will be more particularly described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a door with the invention installed thereon, the door being shown in open position;

Fig. 2V is a section taken on-the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, but with the door closed;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section rof the door and frame with the clamping fastener shown partly in section and in releasing position;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of a portion of the door and frame, with the fastener in clamping position;

Fig. 5 is a detail plan View ofthe dog which engages the channel mem-ber at the side of the door frame;

Fig. 6 isa side elevation of the same;

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of the lug which actuates the dog;

Fig. 9 is an end View of the same, and f Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional view showing a slightly modified form of door construction.

In the installation shown in the drawings, the wall IIJ represents the side of a cold storage cham- Vber having an opening adapted to be closed b-y an insulated vertical sliding door II, through which kegs may be rolled or other packages passed on suitable conveyors. A rectangular frame I2, fabricated of structural steel members riveted and bolted together, or of any other suitable material, is secured in front of the opening or recessed into the wall. The sides of this frame are formed by I-beams or channel members I3 of metal, wood or other material, providing Vertical guideways I4 in which the door Il is slidably mounted. The door is suspended by cords or cables I5 and is approximately balanced by counterweightsV I6. It remains open, as shown in Fig. 1, while `kegs or packages are being passed through the opening. Behind the door, it is customary to provide a flexible insulating curtain Ilv of rubber or the like, which is suspended from the upper side of the opening and which remains closed at all times, except lwhen itis temporarily flexed by a passing keg or package.

Thedoor II has a filling I8 of suitable heat insulating material. The lower edge of the door is provided with a gasket I9 contacting with kthe door frame when the door is-closed. The door is also provided lonits inner face along each side and across the top and bottom with a gasket which may be of any suitable relatively soft or flexible material, such for example, as rubber or springy metal. This gasket may be of hard rubber or semi-hard rubber. It is essential that the gasket shall be of such construction Aas shown in FiguresZ, 3 and 4, so that when it contacts with the inner wall of the channel in which the door slides, it will seal the door opening. In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 10, a wooden strip 26a is attached to the door and contacts with the inner face of the channel member I3. When the clamping fastener hereinafter described is operated for the clamping of the door in a set position, an additional seal is obtained in this form of the invention by a gasket 42 in the form of a metal strip, as shown, which gasket is attached to the edge of the door and bears con-` tinuously against the inner face of the channel member I3. It is obvious that in place of this metal strip, other forms of gaskets may be used and the gasket may be of rubber or any other suitable material.

The clamping fastener, which constitutes the subject-matter of the present invention, comprises two alined bars 2| slidably mounted in the ears 22 of a bracket 23, which is secured to the front face of the door II. Cylindrical collars 24 are secured to the respective bars 2| between the ears 22 and are provided with pins 25 which project into slots 26 in the base of the bracket 23 and prevent rotation of the bars 2|. A handle 2 is pivotally mounted on the adjacent ends 28 of the bars 2| between the collars 24 and is provided with lugs 29 which project into inclined cam grooves 30 formed in the collars 24. 'Ihese cam grooves are so arranged that when the handie is raised to a position substantially at right angles to the plane of the door, as shown in Fig. 3, the inner ends of the bars 2i are substantially in contact with each other, and when the handle is lowered as shown in Fig. 4, the inner ends of the bars are separated.

At each side of the door, a bracket 3| is secured to the face of the door and is provided with ears 32, in which a pin 33 is mounted. This pin constitutes a pivoted support for a dog 34, which is formed with a bifurcated tongue 35 adapted to engage the flange of the channel member I3.

A lug 36 is secured to the outer end of the bar 2i and is formed with a tongue 3l projecting into a slot 38 in the dog 34. This tongue is provided with a slot 39 for clearance of the pin 33 and with lateral ns lll which project into slots 4| in the dog. Thus as the bar is forced outwardly by the cam action of the pin 29 against the side of the slot 30, the fins 4D forcibly engage the sides of the slots 13|, swinging the dog about its pivot 33 and forcing that side of the door inwardly against the inside of the channel lll.

In the operation of the clamping fastener, as the handle 21 is raised to the position shown in Fig. 3, the bars 2| are retracted by the cam action of the pins 2S in the slots 3D and the door is free to be moved up or down. Either the engagement of these pins with the upper ends of the slots or the contact of the inner ends 28 of the bars with each other serves as a stop for the movement of the handle, and when the handle is in that position, it may be used for lifting or lowering the door. If the door should become stuck, as for example, by freezing to the sides of the doorway, sufficient' force may be exerted through the handle 21 to free it. It will also be noted that the bifurcated tongue 35, (zo-operating with the flanges of the I-beams I3, serve to guide the door, as it moves up or down, in the vertical central plane of the doorway.

When the handle 21 is swung downwardly, the bars 2l are forced away from each other. It will be noted that the handle is free to move laterally on the ends 28 of the bars. Either one or the other of the bars will rst be moved outwardly, depending upon which one has the least frictional resistance. This will force that side of the door against the inner face of the channel M as above described. As soon as one side has been thus clamped, the fastener at that side acts as an abutment, preventing any further movement of the bar 2| at that side of the door, so that'further movement of the handle forces the other side of the door into engagement with the inner face of the channel. This lateral movement also tends to prevent any binding of the fastener, should one side of the door become swollen due to moisture, as the bars can float toward the opposite side to establish themselves in a central position in relation to the I-beam channels. The handle may be forced downwardly to make the seal as tight as may be desired and it will be held in that position by the frictional engagement of the pins 29 against the sides of the slots 30.

As above stated, when the handle 21 has been raised to release the fasteners, it may also be used to raise the door. The handle is of heavy construction and, as soon as it is released, it will drop by gravity and cause the fasteners to clamp the door with sufcient pressure to secure it against accidental movement.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a clamping fastener which will securely clamp and seal the door and which may be operated to free the door from the jamb in case it becomes stuck or frozen thereto. When the door is released by the clamping member, the latter serves to guide the door in its movement in a vertical plane midway between the flanges of the I-beam.

A single handle may be used for clamping and sealing the door, for releasing it, or for moving it up or down, and this same handle is automatically actuated by gravity to secure the door in any position to which it may be raised.

The complete fastener may be manufactured as a separate unit and easily installed on any door which is mounted to slide up and down in channels.V

While I have shown and described in detail the preferred form of theinvention, it will be understood that this is for the 4purpose of illustration only and that the invention also includes all Vsuch modifications as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

`Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A combined guide and fastener for a door which is adapted to slide within fixed guideways, a pair of dogs pivotally mounted at opposite sides of the door and having forked ends constantly engaging the guideways for guiding and preventing removal of the door during its sliding movement, each of said dogs being provided with a slot at one side of its pivot, a pair of aligned Y longitudinally shifting bars having at their outer and remote ends ns engaging the slots in said dogs, and means connecting the inner adjacent ends of said bars for shifting the said dogs about their pivots in one direction for clamping the door tightly against the door frame and in the opposite direction for positively removing the door from contact with the door frame.

2. A combined guide and fastener for a door which is adapted to slide within fixed guideways and which is adapted to effect a seal with one edge of the fixed guideways, comprising a plurality of dogspivotally mounted at opposite sides of the door, said dogs having forked ends in constant positive engagement with an edge of the xed guideways, a handle mounted on the door centrally between the dogs, and longitudinally aligned shiftableV bars operatively connecting said handle with said dogs for shifting the said dogs about their pivots in one direction away from the door for effecting a seal with one edge of the fixed guideways and in the opposite direction toward the door for breaking the seal and for guiding the door during sliding movement within the fixed guideways.

DAVID C. E. LEONARD. 

